Written answers

Tuesday, 15 November 2005

Department of Agriculture and Food

EU Directives

9:00 pm

Photo of Brian O'SheaBrian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 121: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will make a statement on her decision to defer introduction of EU Directive 2004/28, regarding the prescribing of veterinary medicines. [34178/05]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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While transposition of Directive 2004/28 into national law is being finalised, article 67 of the directive provides that implementation of the requirement that all veterinary medicines for food producing animals must be subject to prescriptions may be deferred and national rules may continue to apply until a decision is taken at EU level on the criteria for exempting certain medicines from this new requirement or until 1 January 2007, at the latest. I have decided to avail of this provision and, in the interim, existing off-prescription medicines will remain off-prescription and the writing of prescriptions will be restricted to veterinarians.

However, I have made it clear that I intend to review the regulations and, in particular, the provisions relating to the categories of persons who will be permitted to prescribe veterinary medicines, in light of the outcome of the exemption criteria. Full consultations will be held with all stakeholders on the matter at that stage before final decisions are taken on this issue.

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 122: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food when she intends to introduce new grant rates provided to farmers under the CFP scheme in view of the increasing cost of steel and the demands which will be placed on farmers due to the nitrates directive; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33763/05]

Jim Glennon (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)
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Question 161: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food her plans to introduce a new farm waste management scheme to assist farmers meet the requirements of the nitrates directive. [34104/05]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 122 and 161 together.

To assist farmers meet the additional requirements of the nitrates action programme, I have announced details of a proposed revised farm waste management scheme for which EU approval has been sought. I hope early approval of the scheme will be forthcoming so that it can be introduced next January.

Subject to the required EU approval, the scheme will: introduce a standard grant rate of 60%, with 70% being available for zone C counties, in place of the current grant rate of 40% — additional aid will be available for young farmers at rates of 10% in less favoured areas and 5% in other areas; extend the maximum income unit ceiling for farmers from 450 to 650 income units, with no upper limit being applied in the case of pig and poultry farmers; raise the maximum eligible investment from €75,000 to €120,000; remove any minimum income requirements from farming from the scheme so that all small farmers can participate in the scheme; extend the scheme to include horses, deer, goats, pigs and poultry, and mushroom compost; introduce a new 40% grant rate for specialised equipment with specific environmental advantages, subject to maximum eligible investment of €80,000 in the case of decanter centrifuge systems and dry feeding systems for pigs and €40,000 in the case of specialised slurry spreading tankers and related equipment; increase the maximum eligible investment for standard mobile equipment from €11,000 to €15,000 with the grant rate remaining at 20%.

I am satisfied that, if approved, the revised scheme will provide a very satisfactory platform for Irish farmers who need to carry out additional investment works to meet the requirements of the nitrates directive. I urge farmers to make the necessary arrangements to ensure that they are ready to avail of the scheme by the proposed implementation date.

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